On Saturday, March 19, the Lady Monarchs met at the ungodly hour of 9.45 for a two-day training camp. The following six hours were all about Lacrosse and preparing for the upcoming season. After warm-up Theresa introduced us to the art of body defense. Direct physical contact with the opponent and the correct positioning of one's body are vital to a good body defense.
Niki taught us the most important moves in offense and we practiced their correct execution. Soon our goalie had her hands – and her stick – full and had some very nice saves.
At 1 p.m. we had a well-deserved lunch break. With Mannerschnitten and Swiss chocolate we refueled for the second training session.
After warming up again we practiced long passes and the clearing of the ball. The clearing of the ball takes places right after the goalie makes a save and passes it to one of her teammates - the ball is then passed into the offensive side. The right timing and teamwork are key here – because of course the other team tries to prevent the clear and get the ball back.
The last hour we put what we have learned to the test. We started with a game of 3 versus 3 and went to a 6 v 6. We ended the first day of practice with a cosy team dinner.
Starting the second day with sore muscles and sunshine
The next day we could already feel a slight soreness in our muscles but we were all motivated for practice. First we warmed up muscles and joints, and then worked on our stick skills. The morning was again divided into offense and defense.
Lunch break was oddly quiet because we already started getting tired and were too busy eating. When we left the locker room the first sunrays of spring welcomed us and stayed until the end of practice.
In the afternoon we focused on zone defense, which is a sophisticated system of defense and includes the cooperation of all seven players around the goal.
We put our remaining energy in a 6 v 6 game and ended the training camp successfully. Both newer players as well as senior Lacrosse players have gained new insights into attack and defense, improved their stick skills and stamina and of course had a lot of fun. Bring April 9th on – the Lady Monarchs are ready for the first gameday!
